Plate-ice machine.



o o w G b an F d e t n e t a P N o T n K c a 6 3 4 6 0 N PLATE ICEMACHINE.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 1899.)

(No Model.)

THE Nrmms pzrzas co, PHDTO-LITHO, wAsmncTcm, u. u.

STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. KITTON, OF .SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOO. O. IIUTOI'IINSON, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

PLATE-ICE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,269, dated February13, 1900. Application filed April 6, 1899. Serial No. 711,9 82. (Nomodel.)

To 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. KITToN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Plate- Ice Machines; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to an apparatus for the cooling of air which mayafterward be used under any conditions Where cooling or refrigeration isneeded. It may be applied to refrigerating air in storage-chambers ofany character. In my present illustrations I have shown it as applied tothe manufacturing of what is known as plate-ice--that is, ice which isfrozen upon the surfaces of plates which are refrigerated from theinterior, so that the ice forms outwardly from the surfaces of theplates until it has become of sufficient thickness.

It comprises details of construction, which will be more fully explainedby reference tov the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure -l is avertical section through my machine. Fig. 2 is a similar section atright angles to Fig. 1, taken through the lower part of the fresh-watertank.

In the freezing of ice upon the surfaces of large plates, which aresubmerged in fresh water, the temperature of the plates is reduced fromthe interior in the usual well-known manner. The ice at first formsrapidly upon the surfaces of the plates; but as the thickness of the iceincreases, being a poor conductor, the rapidity of the formation of icedecreases until the time necessary to form the desired thickness of icewill amount to several days. It is well known that this class, known asplate-ice, is superior to any which is formed by the can or any othermethod; but the time and expense of making it have made it inferior froman economic point of view.

It is the object of this application of my invention to overcome theobjections of slow freezing and to increase the rapidity with which theice can be formed by so reducing the temperature of the water betweenthe gradually-forming plates of ice as to increase the rapidity of itsformation by practically freezing from the outside, aswell as thatadjacent to the freezing-plate.

A is a fresh-water tank having as man freezing-plates B within it as maybe desired. These plates extend transversely across the tank, reachingfrom the bottom up to the surface of the Water, and the temperature ofthe plates is reduced in the usual or any suitable manner, as by passingammonia or other vapor through pipes or passages within the platesandallowing it to expand therein, by which operation the heat is rapidlyextracted and the temperature of the plates reduced below thefreezing-point of water. This, being a common method and well known, isnot here illustrated.

O is a brine-tank having within it the refrigerating coils D, throughwhich the refrigerant vapor is passed, so that the temperature of thebrine within the tank is kept reduced to the lowest possible or desireddegree.

E is an air-circulating apparatus. In the present case it is representedin the form of a rotary pump or blower. From this air-forcing mechanismpipes F extend into the lower part of the brine-chamber G, and thesepipes are formed with downwardly and outwardly discharging openings ornozzles F, through which the air is discharged in fine subdivisions andallowed to rise up through the brine by its buoyancy. As it thus risesthe heat is rapidly extracted, and its temperature is reduced to as lowa point as may be desired. The construction of this brine-chamber may beof any usual or suitable form, with proper arrangements for circulatingthe refrigerant vapor through the coils D. From the upper part of thisbrine-chamber a pipe or pipes G extend to a point below thefreezing-chamber A. From the pipe G branches H extend into the lowerpart of the fresh-water chamber and are controlled by cocks I, whichenable the operator to regulate the flow of air into different parts ofthe chamber or close off same. As here shown, these pipes extendentirely across the lower part of the chamber and have upturned ends ornozzles at sufliciently close intervals, so that the air which has beenreduced to a low temperature in the brine-chamber is delivered into thefreshwater chamber A. The air thus discharged into the water being at avery low temperature rapidly extracts the heat from the water betweenthe forming ice plates and reduces its temperature to so low a pointthat the additional ice forming upon the outer surface of the plates israpidly increased, and the reduction in the rate of freezing which wouldotherwise occur by reason of the low conductin g power of thealready-formed ice is counteracted. From the top of the tankreturn-pipes J will deliver the air into a main pipe K, which deliversthe air again into the air-forcing mechanism E, so that the air which isdischarged from this mechanism into the brine-tank will already be at avery low temperature, and a considerable economy is effected by thususing this air over and over. Experience has shown that no transfer ofsaline particles of vapor from the brine to the fresh-water tank occurs.The pipes J are also provided with controlling cocks L, so that thecirculation of the air through different parts of the large tank may beaccurately controlled and the rate at which the ice is formed thereincan be equalized. In this manner I am enabled to so increase the rate offormation in this class of machine that ice twelve or fourteen inches inthickness can be formed in a very greatly reduced time, be cause by thisoperation a freezing-surface is practically provided upon the outside ofthe ice plate in addition to that which is produced from the plateitself.

It will be manifest that air thus refrigerated may be used equally wellfor other purposes as well as the manufacture of ice, the essence of myinvention being the cooling of the air and reducing it to any desiredlow temperature by passing it upwardly through a refrigerating liquidthe temperature of which has been suitably reduced for the purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a tank adapted to contain fresh waterand havingfreezing-plates extending transversely across it, a brine-tank having acoil through which is circulated a refrigerating fluid, a rotary bloweror pump between the fresh-water and brine tanks, having a discharge-pipeentering the brine-tank and discharging downwardly therein whereby theair is permitted to rise through the brine, an air-conducting pipeconnecting the upper portion of the brine-tank with the lower portion ofthe water-tank and having independent branches discharging air into thelatter at points between adjacent freezing-plates, and a return -pipehaving branches corresponding with the branches of the conducting-pipeand connecting the upper portion of the water-tank with the blowerwhereby the air passing the plates is return ed to the blower for reusein the brine-tank.

2. The combination of a brine-tank provided with means for circulating arefrigerating fluid therethrough, a fresh-water tank havingfreezing-plates, and air forcing and circulating mechanism including arotary blower having a pipe leading from its discharge and entering thelower portion of the brine-tank, said pipe having a plurality of flaringnozzles fitted to its under side and discharging airin fine subdivisionsinto the lower portion of the brine, a pipe entering the upper end ofthe brine-tank and thence extending downwardly below and along thewatertank, and having vertical branches entering the bottom of thewaterrtank at points between adjacent freezing-plates, and havingcontrolling-valves, a return-pipe having depending branches entering theupper portion of the water-tank at points between said plates and valvescontrolling said branches, said return-pipe connecting with the suctionend of the blower whereby the spent air is returned to the brine-tankfor reuse.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN C. KITTON. Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, J ESSIE C. BRODIE.

